Liam Neeson stormed back into theaters with a vengeance. Taken 3 easily surpassed expectations and knocked The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies all the way to No. 4.
Taken 3, distributed by 20th Century Fox, scored $40.4 million, according to data from Rentrak. That’s much better than expected and a clear sign that audiences don’t care what critics have to say.
As Box Office Mojo notes, Taken 3 did make about $9 million less than Taken 2Ride Along holds the record at $41.5 million.)
While Ava DuVernay and Paramount’s Selma started off strong in limited release, the film had a hard time nationally. The Martin Luther King Jr. biopic only made $11.2 million, although it did get a great A+ CinemaScore grade from audiences. Plus, it could do well over the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday and Oscar nominations should give it a boost.
Disney’s Into The Woods passed the $100 million mark with $9.7 million this weekend. The Hobbit added $9.4 million, bringing its domestic total to $236.5 million.
Angelina Jolie’s Unbroken also passed $100 million, adding $8.4 million. The Imitation Game continued to do well, adding $7.6 million, bringing its total to $40.8 million.
Further down the chart, Paul Thomas Anderson’s Inherent Vice opened wide at No. 11 with just $2.9 million. Considering that the film is destined to be a cult movie without many Oscar nominations, it isn’t likely to do well in the long run at the box office.
Clint Eastwood’s American Sniper made $555,000 from just four theaters. It opens wide this weekend with already $3.1 million.
image courtesy of Famous/ACE/INFphoto.com